Checkout lanes at retail store locations like grocery stores present a pressure point for the customer experience and business transactions of those retail stores. Customers at retail store locations demand retail store locations operate with speed and efficiency for the checkout process. This is particularly true in light of increased competition for retail store locations from online shopping sites that offer similar or expanded product offerings, fast checkouts (e.g., one-click checkout processes), and shipping times that continue to become faster and cheaper than in years past.
Currently, people shopping at retail store locations that are prepared to checkout and pay for their items depend on limited information and personal choices when choosing a line to enter at a retail store such as a grocery store or supermarket. The current process for retail locations with a plurality of checkout lanes consists of customers (or retail store attendants) viewing the lines at each of the checkout lanes, making a personal judgment about estimated waiting times, possibly making a personal judgment about a checkout lane attendant's checkout efficiency, and then choosing a line to enter and queue for the checkout process.